A Family of His Own
by Of Memories Past
Summary: Inuyasha anxiously waits outside of Kaede's hut. Something special is going on inside of the small shack, and our hanyou's impatience to go inside is growing stronger! But what happens after that initial special surprise? Adventure lies ahead!
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: I do not own InuYasha or anything to do with it.

A Family of His Own

By: Of Memories Past

Anticipation rose in his chest as yet another yowl erupted from the small hut. Deep, amber eyes snapped towards the shack as he listened to the cries of his beloved struggling to bring into the world something that he desired with his whole heart: a family. He anxiously glanced toward the flimsy hut he had been ordered to stay out of. It was driving him insane with impatience. He should be in there with her, helping in whatever way he could to ease the intense pain racking her body. Looking up into the dark, starry sky, he prayed that it would be a safe delivery. Prayed that his family would be safe.

_Family. _Something that he had so few memories of, his heart had soared the day she had told him that she was pregnant. The world had stopped then, leaving just his mate and himself. She had laughed at his joyous cries and silly antics. Not that he could have blamed her. He had swept her up into his arms effortlessly and spun around until the both collapsed to the ground from dizziness.  Even Miroku had shied away as the Hanyou showed up, leaping about in all directions. But as soon as the news hit him, the monk joined his friend in undignified celebration.

In the darkness a small smile quirked the corners of InuYasha's lips in remembrance of Shippo's reaction. The tiny kitsune immediately began to treat Kagome as if she were made of glass. She couldn't walk anywhere without a small arm wrapped protectively around her form. And she found also that she could not sit down without the aid of a tiny paw. She had laughed and allowed Shippo to care for her.

Another cry brought him back to the present and the event at hand. He sighed, cursing his acute hearing. Every sharp breath she took, every quiet sound that escaped her lips while her body underwent brutal pain reached his ears. He leaned against a tree to wait some more. But nervous glances continually slid toward the small hut. It took all the willpower in him not to barge in and take her in his arms to help her through. 

A sudden bout of anger rushed through his veins as he remembered Kaede ordering him to remain outside. The moonlight glistened off his white fangs as he unconsciously bared them toward the hut. How dare he be ordered to stay outside away from his _wife_!  Sango had explained that it was for everyone's own good and that seeing her in all that pain would just make him angry. But what did they think hearing her cries did to him? He could still hear those.

Tuning out his wife's shouts of pain, InuYasha let his mind wander back to his memories. He remembered holding her in his embrace before they fell asleep in the stillness of their small yet cozy home, feeling the change in her slim figure every night. The small mound had eventually turned into a larger one. She was clearly uncomfortable being forced to sleep on her back. But it had seemed that keeping her close made it more bearable.

A sudden cry turned his attention back to what was occurring inside of the hut, and his face paled. That cry did not belong to Kagome. He was a father! Silent tears rolled down his cheeks as he waited for Kaede to come out and tell him he could enter. But she didn't come out. He waited and waited wondering at the reason why he was still forced to stay outside and wondering why Kagome still seemed to be going through torment. Then he heard another distinct cry. And then another.

His eyes opened to their fullest as he listened to three new voices crying out selfishly for comfort. And he suddenly rushed forward, not caring anymore what Kaede would say, to give it to them. His _children_ needed him.

Kaede smiled at him broadly as soon as he entered the room. "Three healthy pups. Congratulations, InuYasha. I have faith that ye will be a fine father." 

His amber eyes, full of emotion, slid over to the bedding where Kagome lay with their babes. The tears could not be stopped as he approached and slid in behind her. Completely exhausted, Kagome braced herself against his chest and smiled, closing her deep brown eyes as she felt his lips lightly brush the top of her head.

"They're beautiful," she whispered, her brown eyes sliding shut as she moved the blanket back.

InuYasha gaped. There before him were three sleeping pups. _His_ pups. He softly scratched the ears of the one pup with hair as dark as his mother's. He smiled. This one had his ears. One with silvery white hair like his appeared to be completely human and content to be sleeping peacefully. InuYasha reached forward and gently ran a finger down the soft cheek smiling as his babe turned to his warmth. The third pup's hair was as raven as the first only his ears were human. But InuYasha could see evidence of a tail poking out.

"All beautiful," Kaede said, kneeling beside the small family. "The two dark ones are males. The fair one is female."

As if they knew that someone had been discussing them, three pairs of eyes opened and for the first time curiously stared up at their father. The pup with the ears had Kagome's deep, brown eyes and tried in vain to focus his vision on InuYasha's face. The second one, the female, had violet eyes, much like his when in his human form. She reached forward and took a hold of his coat. But the tailed pup had his golden eyes. He felt more tears course down his cheeks as the golden-eyed babe smiled at him.

"Hold them," Kagome spoke softly.

InuYasha tenderly lifted the babes into his strong arms, staring down at them in awe. The two boys yawned widely.

InuYasha panicked for a moment. Where were their teeth?

He turned to Kaede. "They don't have teeth! Why don't they have teeth?" 

The two women laughed at the Hanyou's worried expression. "It is a characteristic of human children to be quite a few months before getting their teeth," Kaede explained. "Do not worry, InuYasha. Their teeth will come."

He looked down just in time to see his daughter yawn. He smiled. The child that appeared to be human had just revealed to him a mouth of sharp fangs. "Some children," he added with a smile.

"Let me clean then up," Kaede said, scooping up the pups and leaving InuYasha and Kagome alone together.

InuYasha pulled Kagome into his arms and kissed her softly. "I love you."

"Mmmmmmm," she responded sleepily. "They're perfect."

Kaede brought the pups back, cleaned thoroughly from head to toe. Or tail.

InuYasha gently laid the sleeping Kagome back onto the bedding and then reached out his arms for his children. Wrapped in a warm blanket, they entered their father's loving arms. Putting them to his chest, InuYasha laid back next to his wife.

Kaede blew out the lantern. "Sleep well, InuYasha." She turned to leave.

"Kaede," InuYasha called after her quietly.

The old woman turned to face him in the darkness.

"Thank you. Thank you for my children." He smiled at her.

Kaede looked down and grinned. "InuYasha," she said kindly "ye will be a great father." And with that, she left.

InuYasha smiled again and looked down at the pups. "I hope so," he whispered. Then, he closed his eyes, entering a peaceful sleep. His last thought was the beautiful pups sleeping on his chest…

A/N: I hope you all liked it. This was my first IY fic!


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: I do not own InuYasha or anything to do with it.

A Family of His Own

By: Of Memories Past

Chapter 2

`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~

The warmth provided by the small fire in the middle of their home brought a satisfied smile to her lips. Her home was _perfect_. She set a small kettle of food over the fire to keep a portion of food warm for her husband until he returned home, all the while admiring the amber glow that the flames left painted on her wall. They reminded her of _his_ eyes, and _he _made the middle-sized hut home. Him and three other tiny souls. In the small room to her left slept three mischievous pups. She shook her head with a motherly smile. Those pups. Only in their third year of life and their daily games already foretold rambunctious childhoods lay ahead. She laughed quietly, remembering one little incident that her husband had had to deal with earlier that day…

*FLASHBACK* 

_"Alright, who has him?"_

_Three innocent pairs of eyes looked up at their father, seemingly clueless to the question being asked._

_Their father, on the other hand, knew that his three children knew exactly what he was getting at. It irked him and yet made him proud at the same time that they all remained silent, protecting the offender. They would grow strong and they would grow together. Their bond would be unbreakable. However, no matter how cute and precious the dishonest action was, the pups' father knew that one individual certainly had to be panicked at the moment…_

_"I'm asking one more time. Where is he?" he growled._

_Silence._

_Agitated at the lack of response, he leaned down close to the pups' faces, sniffing out any unusual smell. He stopped at his daughter. Her sweet face was completely passive, but the scent that reached his nose told the truth that she did not. _

_With an exasperated look on his face, he stretched out a clawed hand underneath her chin. "Aiko, spit."_

_Aiko responded to the command at once, knowing that her crime had been discovered. She obediently spit into her father's hand. _

_A slimy, saliva saturated Myouga, was the result. "Master Inuyasha! You saved my life!"_

_Inuyasha grimaced at the mess in his hand and flicked the flea off into the grass before turning back to his children. "How many times do I have to tell you NOT to swallow that flea? Aiko, this is the third time this week I've told you that Myouga does NOT belong in your mouth!"_

*END FLASHBACK* 

She chuckled again at the memory, settling down by the fire to wait for her husband to return. Her husband. He loved the pups more than his own life and was so good with them, even if he tried to brush off the fact himself. Numerous times she had come home from the village only to find him asleep by the fire pit, their three children wrapped warmly in his robes. Or she would come back to find a wresting match going on and the hut in shambles as one of the pups or her husband himself flew across the room, only to come back into the fray with more energy than before.

Sighing, the young mother tied her dark tresses back from her face. The thoughts of her husband caused her brown eyes to drift to the bedroom where they should have been sleeping at the moment. What kept him? He had been gone since noon, and she grew tired.

The soft sound of growling brought her from her thoughts.

"Kozue," she said, eyeing the wakeful pup that emerged from his bedroom, "what's wrong?"

Kozue stood on all fours, his baby fangs bared toward the entrance to their home as a quiet growl continued to rumble deep within his small body. His deep, brown eyes remained focused at the doorway as the ears he inherited from his father twitched in any direction from which sound came.

"Kozue," she said, her tone more worried. She automatically began to reach for her quiver of arrows. The pup smelled something.

Her fears only increased more as her two other children came into sight, their actions the same as their brother. Aiko, her daughter, viciously crouched down ready to attack at any moment, her slightly longer fangs bared to full capacity. Haru, her other son, violently flexed the soft, baby claws to their fullest length, a growl resonating in his chest.

"No," their mother whispered softly. She had forgotten to make more arrows. _"How could I have been so foolish?"_

Suddenly, Kozue and Haru stopped growling and carefully stood up to stand beside their mother. All looks of beforehand ferocity completely vanished from their adorable faces. She brought them into her arms warmly and then cast her glance back to her daughter. Aiko did not relinquish her position.

"Aiko, come here, Darling," she coaxed the riled child. Fear filled her eyes as her daughter's crouched stance became even lower. "Aiko, no!"

But her words came too late. Aiko charged at the entrance, her violet eyes flashing angrily and her short, silvery hair flying wildly behind her.

Horror filled the mother's eyes as her daughter tore out the doorway. Her child's scream followed shortly after. "Aiko!" The fear in her chest increased tenfold when silence ensued. Tears rolled down her cheeks at the thought of what had just happened to her daughter.

"Calm down, Kagome."

Kagome glanced up, the tears sparkling on her cheeks as her husband entered the doorway with a certain little pup. The look on his face was clearly annoyed as he held his daughter up at an arm's length by the back of her night shift. His amber eyes bore into the little one's own violet orbs as he scolded her.

"You are going to get yourself killed one day, Aiko," he warned. "Those ears of yours are the sharpest I've seen, but your nose still has _a lot_ to learn." He grunted. "Still can't recognize the scent of your own father."

"Inuyasha," Kagome breathed. She subconsciously held Kozue and Haru closer. "What happened?"

Inuyasha shrugged carelessly and brought Aiko to rest on his shoulder. She playfully grabbed a hold of one of his ears with her teeth. "They smelled a demon, only those two had the sense to figure out who it was." His eyes glanced back to his daughter in exasperation, and she promptly released his ear.

Kagome sighed with relief and eagerly took Aiko into her arms as Inuyasha handed her over. He sat down beside her and scratched his daughters back, mutely telling her that it was all right. Aiko smiled and snuggled against Kagome who lightly kissed the top of her daughter's head as Kozue and Haru scrambled into their father's lap.

Inuyasha laughed, allowing the pups to knock him on his back and climb all over him. But fun could only last so long. Aiko was already asleep and Haru and Kozue's eyes were already beginning to drift shut. He gingerly scooped up all three of his pups and brought them back to their room to tuck them in while Kagome slipped back to the fire to retrieve the food for her husband.

"Long day?" Kagome smiled when he returned to the main room.

Inuyasha growled and pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly. She laughed at his response. The day had definitely been long _and_ rough. He lightly kissed her lips before she pushed him away smiling to get his dinner for him. But he refused to let go. Her eyes widened as his teeth lightly grazed her chin…

"Inuyasha!" Kagome scolded. She pulled away, trying to suppress the amusement in her eyes. "The children are two feet away!"

He rolled his eyes at the exaggerated distance and pulled her back to himself leaning close to her ear. "That's never stopped you before." 

Kagome tensed as he kissed her neck. _"No, no, no, no, no, Kagome. Not right now."_ She gently pushed his chest and pulled away. "They have just proven that their senses are improving, Inuyasha. Now sit down and eat your dinner. We'll talk about this later." Smiling as he grumbled, Kagome brought his dinner to him, kissing him on the cheek as he sat down.

"What happened today?"

Inuyasha quickly finished his dinner and then pulled his wife into his lap. Kagome happily leaned back against his chest closing her eyes as he lightly ran his claws up the side of her neck. The only sound to be heard was he crackling of the fire and the soft breathing of pups asleep not too far away.

"Miroku located the last shard," Inuyasha said at last, breaking the silence.

"What?" Kagome turned around to face him. "Are you sure?"

He nodded. "A village about two days from here has been having trouble with a youkai. Seems that all their plow animals are disappearing."

"But any demon could do that," she pointed out.

He raised and eyebrow. "A raven youkai?"

Sighing, Kagome relaxed against him once more. He was right. "And we thought the trouble would be over once Naraku died. But we still had to locate more shards."

Inuyasha chuckled quietly. "But they've been easier to get with him gone."

"True." She smiled.

Inuyasha suddenly lifted her into his arms, kissing her soundly as she came to the same level as he. Kagome only smiled and kissed him back. He began to carry her to their bedroom. 

"And what do you think you are doing?" she asked as he gently lay her down on their bed. The mattress was one of the most comfortable she had ever slept on, made of pelts and stuffed with straw and feathers.

Inuyasha sat beside her, taking her delicate hand in his own rough one. "You like having pups around, don't you?" His amber eyes slid over to her brown orbs, giving the impression that they held a secret.

"Of course I do," she answered, slightly confused. "Why do you ask?"

He grinned. "Then you wouldn't mind a few more, would you?"

"What?" Kagome asked with wide eyes. But all potential for argument ceased as his mouth closed over hers.

A/N: Well, it looks as if I've decided to continue this fic. Review and let me know what you think. Don't worry, other characters will be showing up in the story within the next chapter. Take care and God bless! ~_Of Memories Past_


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: I do not own InuYasha or anything to do with it.

A Family of His Own

By: Of Memories Past

Chapter 3

`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~

The soft pitter-patter of raindrops against the strongly thatched roof caused her to stir in her sleep. _"It's still night,"_ she observed quietly. Looking over at her husband, she smiled and shook her head. It was amazing that with ears so sensitive he could sleep through the small storm. Kagome shivered a bit and quietly crawled from the bed to rekindle the fire in the hut's main room. Grabbing her husband's kimono and wrapping herself in it, she crept from the room, careful not to wake her sleeping mate. 

The fire had died down to glowing embers, only a small amount of warmth left to heat the hut. Frowning, Kagome began to add more sticks and small branches and attempted to coax the dying cinders back to life. Her first efforts were futile, the ashes only gleaming a bit brighter as she blew on them, so she stubbornly added some dried leaves, determined to bring heat into her home. The flames finally caught and dimly lit up the room along with her triumphant smile.

Her task complete, Kagome checked on the pups before returning to her bedroom. She returned the kimono to its usual spot and eyed her husband, a warm smile on her face. He looked so innocent asleep in their bed. His silver hair spilled over the side of the bed that _he_ had made for them, his chest rising slowly with every soft breath he took. He was beautiful.

Kagome resisted the urge to wake him up and instead crawled into bed, snuggling closer to him. He stirred a bit but then relaxed again as she slipped her arms around his form and rested her chin on his shoulder. Sleep claimed her shortly afterward, knowing that the next day would be a busy one for them both…

`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~

"Oh! Kagome, they're getting so big!" Mrs. Higuarashi fervently scooped three giggling pups up into her arms, hugging and kissing them all before moving to hug her beaming daughter. "And how are you, Honey?"

"I'm good," Kagome said, hugging her back. It was so good to be back home again. She turned her gaze over to her scowling husband and motioned for him to come over.

Inuyasha took his time wandering over to his wife and mother-in-law, the scowl still present on his face. He was a sight to be seen with his ears flattened against his skull and the annoyed look on his face. Haru tried to climb up his cloak as Inuyasha passed by, but he simply handed the pup over to Kagome.

Mrs. Higurashi grinned as her son-in-law sullenly approached her. "My my, he takes my daughter from me and then resents bringing her back home for a visit. I'll forgive you since you brought my grandchildren."

Inuyasha looked up and grinned before pulling his mother-in-law into a warm embrace. "I like coming to visit too, you know."

Laughing and giving his ears a tweak, Mrs. Higurashi swatted Inuyasha playfully and opened her arms to three squirming pups. Kozue, Aiko, and Haru immediately leaped into their grandmother's arms. "Kagome, you and Inuyasha can go get settled. I'm going to visit my grandpups." She smiled and reached down to scratch Kozue's ears. Unlike his father, Kozue thoroughly enjoyed getting his ears scratched by his grandmother.

"Have fun!" Kagome called, watching as her mother disappeared into the backyard with her three children. A worried look spread across her face once they were out of site. "I hope that Aiko doesn't put anything unusual in her mouth again." Inuyasha's chuckle caused her to whirl around, facing her husband sternly. "I don't see what was so funny about it."

"Kagome," he said, stepping forward and wrapping his arms around her, "did you see your mother's face when Aiko hunted down that squirrel?"

Kagome shook her head and sighed. "Only you, Inuyasha. Only you."

`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`

Mrs. Higurashi's scream awoke them from their deep slumber. Kagome blinked her eyes a few times, trying to focus them on her tense husband. He sat up straight in bed, his ears flat against his skull, desperately trying to drown out the sounds of his mother-in-law's screams. His eyes clamped shut as he clenched his fist tightly, the long silver hair strewn wildly over his bare shoulders and face. The high-pitched yell had rudely jerked him from his sleep. 

Kagome smiled and soothingly rubbed his back. Suddenly, her face showed fear as her mother's screams did not cease. "Inuyasha," she licked her lips worriedly, "what's going on?"

He gritted his teeth. "I'm going to spank her."

"What?" Kagome asked, her eyes growing wide. She reached her arms out to keep him with her as he got up from the bed. "Where are you going?"

Ignoring the red kimono that lay neatly on the floor, Inuyasha calmly walked to door before turning to face his wife. "Listen."

Kagome tuned her ears to the sounds in the house and tried to ignore her mother's yells. The house settled as any old building would. Oh, it was hard to hear over her mother. She shut her eyes in concentration, and then she heard it. First, she the sound of Buyo hissing reached her ears, the feline obviously aggravated by something. But then Kagome heard the soft sound of growling. She frowned, an irritated look crossing her features. Looking to her right, her suspicions were confirmed: only two pups lay sleeping on the floor next to their bed.

"I'll be right back," Inuyasha quietly left the room. 

Kagome simply prayed that her daughter had not done anything to her childhood pet.

It was not a minute later before Inuyasha crept back into the bedroom with a tearful pup clinging to his shoulder. Aiko had obviously gotten the spanking she deserved. Her violet eyes shined like pools of water as he handed her over to Kagome. 

He crawled back under the covers, a perturbed look on his face. "She had that cat cornered in your mother's room." He turned his body under the covers so that he was facing his mate and daughter. "It was so dark in there that your mother could only hear the growling and Buyo's racket. Scared her half to death."

"Is Buyo okay?" Kagome asked, putting Aiko between them on the bed.

"Feh, the cat's fine." He turned on his back. "Mother is fine now too. She fell asleep as soon as I left."

Kagome sighed with relief. She remembered well what had happened to that poor squirrel that her daughter had caught. "Did you learn a lesson, Aiko?"

The small pup sniffled and nodded. Oh, she had learned all right. From now on she would not touch anything that moved that mommy or daddy obviously liked. Daddy's hand hurt too much.

"Good." Kagome smiled and kissed the pup. "Goodnight, Aiko."

But instead of settling down between her parents, Aiko ambled onto her father's chest, looking him square in the face. Her innocent eyes still held a watery glaze. But even if he had punished her, this was her daddy. And she loved her daddy so much. She quickly began planting little butterfly kisses on his mouth, nose, cheeks, and all over his face in apology for what she had done earlier. 

Inuyasha laughed reaching up to kiss his daughter before placing her under the covers on his chest. Yes, that little one was a lot of trouble and kept both him and Kagome busy, but she was a special. He smiled. His only daughter, and he loved her more than life itself. Oh, he loved his sons just as much, but each and every pup had something special about them that set them aside from the others.

He smiled remembering how Kozue would be waiting by the door, waiting for him to come home after being away for the day. He could always smell the waiting pup. He could also always smell his son's anticipation, and he would walk through the door just in time to have Kozue leap at him, playfully grabbing his ears with his small fangs or snuggling up under his chin just because he missed his daddy.

Haru brought an even wider grin to his lips. That little pup always seemed to forget that he had a tail. A small chuckle escaped Inuyasha as the time when Shippo had grabbed that tail to keep him from falling into the spring entered his mind. Haru had yelped like it was the end of the world and then had gone running to Inuyasha as quickly as his little legs could carry him. It had startled him quite badly. So oblivious to some things, and yet the pup would smell a rabbit in its hole even farther than he could. He was proud of the pup's good sense of smell.

And then there was Aiko. His sweet, little troublemaker. And did she have a nose for it. Taking a bit longer to fine-tune the youkai senses, his daughter found mischief more easily than the others. But she was so affectionate. If it were possible, she would ride around on his shoulders all day long, just happy to be near him. Whenever she was scared, he was the first on she went to. When she wasn't sure of something, Inuyasha would feel a small hand reach up and take a hold of his. 

"It's been a nice little vacation hasn't it?"

Inuyasha turned to Kagome and nodded his head. "Nice vacation before a long trip." He protectively laid an arm over the sleeping bundle on his chest. "We're taking them with us."

"To find the shard?" Kagome's eyes grew wide as she moved closer to her husband. "Do you think that's really a good idea?"

"Yes," he whispered. "They need to started learning now how to defend themselves."

"They're only three!" Kagome whispered back, obviously not pleased.

Silence followed. "I was only three, Kagome."

Understanding hit her as the story of his childhood came back to her memories. He had needed to know how to take care of himself at that young age and had struggled through it alone. She sighed. If he felt that the pups needed to learn this soon, then so be it. 

"Alright, Inuyasha. Goodnight." Kagome leaned over and softly kissed his lips before snuggling back down beneath the covers. 

"Goodnight." 

A few minutes later, the whole household was asleep.

A/N: Oh, I have so many ideas on where to take this! Let me know what you think. I love hearing from you all. It helps me keep going with all this work to do. Hope you all enjoyed, and I hope to have to next chapter out soon! God Bless! ~_Of Memories Past_


	4. Chapter 4

DISCLAIMER: I do not own InuYasha or anything to do with it.

A Family of His Own

By: Of Memories Past

Chapter 4

`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~

"Is that everything?" Kagome carefully looked at the small chaos surrounding herself and her family. Brows furrowing, she turned to her husband and gave him a questioning look. He nodded, and she sighed. If he said that the two large packs were enough, then the two large packs were enough—even if she believed that they needed another. 

"Okay, if that's everything then we had better get going." Sango piped in, walking up to her friend. She held in her arms the newest addition to hers and Miroku's family. Tiny Hana was beautiful and at the moment, sleeping peacefully while held close to her mother. With her pale, soft skin and rosily tinted cheeks, the two-month-old infant seemed to be an angel. "Now I only have to find Hiroshi." 

Kagome smiled in understanding. She knew well how difficult it was to keep track of children. At that moment she turned to gather her own but stopped. Kozue happily chatted away as any small child would with his Uncle Miroku while Aiko chased a small butterfly not far from them. However, as usual, one of her pups was missing. Only this time it was Haru.

"Oh no, where is he, Sango?" Kagome groaned. 

Sango shrugged, looking about her to see if the missing pup was in view before her own eyes going wide. "Where's Kirara?"

As if on cue, the fire-cat, fully transformed, came into view above the trees. Two squealing children happily rode on her back as she flew back and forth, dodging branches, taking shallow dives, and other minor stunts. But no matter how harmless the aerobatics were, the two mothers below could only picture one of the children falling off and harshly hitting the ground below.

"Hi, Mama!" Haru called down, laughing as yet another tree branch was dodged.

Hiroshi's laughter followed. "Mama, hi!" He waved.

Kirara growled happily, knowing that the children were having the time of their lives.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed, pointing upward to the fire-cat.

Inuyasha's own amber eyes slid from the pack that he was about to shoulder to the sight of his son and adopted nephew flying high in the air. "Kagome! How did you let him out of your sight!" With on great leap, he was in the air in pursuit of the flying cat.

Kagome growled angrily. "He is your son too, you know! How did _you_ let him out of _your _sight!"

But Inuyasha did not hear a word his mate said. Kirara, after having seen him join her in the air, thought that everything was turning into one big game. She growled playfully every time Inuyasha got close enough to snatch the children and then increased her speed, escaping at just the last minute. His curses as he missed did not seem to bother the fire-cat. As a matter of fact, it seemed to her that he was just a sore loser, and the fact that she was winning made her play all the harder.

Haru and Hiroshi howled with laughter as Kirara dodged one particular branch at the last moment, causing Inuyasha to crash right into it. It resulted in the large tree falling down to the earth below and a predominantly irked hanyou letting a stream of curse fly from his lips.

Miroku sighed. "Well, I had better start chopping that up. At least we'll have firewood for a while."

But Kozue, who had rushed to his father's aid, listened with wide eyes as Inuyasha attempted to dislodge his body from underneath the tree. He had never heard such angry words come from his father's mouth before, and he began wondering what they meant.

Kagome on the other hand, knew exactly what Inuyasha said. Her face flushed as the steady stream of curses continued and secretly wished that she could "sit" him. But that defense had disappeared a few years before after they had been married. On their wedding night, she had removed the prayer beads from his neck. But that did not mean that she couldn't do anything. So Kagome ran with all her might and leaped at her husband.

Inuyasha, who had just managed to get himself out from underneath the tree, suddenly found himself back on the ground with an extremely angry Kagome on top of him, her hands wrapped tightly around his throat as she yelled. 

"How could you be saying things like that in front of your children!"

Inuyasha pried her hands from around his neck. "It's not my fault that that tree fell on me, wench!" His ears went back as he realized what he had just said. He had not called her that in ages, and the darkening look on her face made him realize that it would take a great effort to get out of this one.

But instead of more shouting, Kagome calmly crawled off of him, took her pup by his hand, and led the still wide-eyed Kozue back into her small home. She turned in Inuyasha's direction just before they entered. "We'll leave tomorrow. I do not feel like traveling today."

Normally, he would have argued, but the dark look on Sango's face as he glanced to her warned him that he should give it up. He sighed. _"I've really screwed up this time."_

Kirara chose that moment to come back down to the ground with two joyful children. Hiroshi and Haru had loved their ride with the large fire-cat. They rolled off of her back as she crouch down and then threw their tiny arms around her in thanks, hugging her tightly for her gift to them.

"Thank you, Kirara!" Haru said.

Hiroshi scratched her ears. "Thank you!"

Giving her one last pat, Haru ran to where his father was sitting dejectedly on the ground. "Daddy, I ride on Kirara! And she go high!" He jumped in Inuyasha's lap and hugged him. "Can I go for ride on you later?"

Inuyasha smirked at his son's broken three-year-old language and gave his tail a tiny tug. "If your Mama will let you." He did not feel like giving a lecture on why he needed to ask before riding the fire-cat at the moment. 

Sango, on the other hand, was busy telling Hiroshi why he needed to ask, but was nonetheless happy that he had had a good time.

"Thank you!" With that, Haru ran off to play with his sister and share the story of his adventure.

Inuyasha chuckled and then turned to the fire-cat. "Kirara" 

But Kirara had heard the stern tone in his voice. She carefully approached him, waiting until she was close to transform back into her smaller form. With a cheerful chirp, she jumped into Inuyasha's arms, licking his face and snuggling under his chin.

"Kirara," Inuyasha heaved a sigh as the small cat purred. "You do know how to get yourself out of trouble."

Kirara chirped and licked his face again, snuggling even more as she heard the sound of Sango and Miroku's laughter. Yes, this was her lucky day.

`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~

Kozue comfortably lay snuggled under the warm pelts of the bed he and his two siblings shared. It had been an interesting day. First they were planning on traveling, and then after his brother and Hiroshi rode Kirara, the plans changed. And he was somewhat disappointed. A trip sounded like a fun idea. They had gone on a trip to see Uncle Miroku's friend once. Kozue had loved being able to spend time with everyone for the four days it had taken to get there. He loved sleeping under the stars by a gentle fire and listen to the stories of the times before he was born that his daddy and uncle told. He sighed. It would be better if sleep claimed him now so that tomorrow would come sooner. He closed his eyes, prayer that sleep would come quickly to his small body.

But he would have no such luck. A light nudge caused his chocolate eyes to open once more.

"Kozue?" It was Aiko.

He rolled over to face his sister. "What, Aiko?"

Her sleepy, violet eyes blinked tiredly. "Mama is mad at Daddy."

He nodded.

"Why?"

"I don't know. Go to sleep, Aiko."

The violet-eyed pup nodded and turned over to sleep. Kozue listened carefully until her breathing was even and then closed his own tired eyes.

"It's not because I rode Kirara is it?"

A low growl rumbled in Kozue's chest as his brother's question popped up. It was going to be a long night.

`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~

Inuyasha groaned as he stretched out on his stomach in front of the fire pit, his chin resting on his crossed arms. The small flames provided ample warmth, but he would have much rather been in his own bed under the warm covers with his mate. However, his mate would not have it. The same anger that had burned in her dark eyes earlier that day was still there as he had tried to climb into bed, and he was blatantly told that he would be sleeping anywhere but with her. So much for apology attempt number one…

But he knew how big of a mistake he had made. Oh yes, it was a big one. He had not called Kagome a wench or anything else like it since they had become mates. As far as he was concerned, he would be lucky if he were ever allowed back in the bedroom.

Rolling over onto his back, Inuyasha blocked out the dim firelight by resting an arm over his eyes. "She hates me."

"I don't hate you, Inuyasha. I'm just mad at you."

He looked up to see Kagome standing in the entranceway to their bedroom, wearing those things that she called pajamas that came from her time with her hair pulled up into a ponytail. They were a soft pink color and covered in tiny pictures of kittens. She had had them since she was a kid. He could remember sneaking into her bedroom in the middle of the night to find her sleeping peacefully in them, once in a while reaching out to touch the soft material. In his opinion she still looked unbearably cute in them, and it was extremely difficult to remain where he was.

Kagome motioned to him, and he followed her into the bedroom. The small fire pit in the corner of the room glowed dimly, being now only embers. She quietly walked over to tend to it, trying to sort out in her mind what to say. What he had said earlier had hurt. It had been years since he had called her that. Finishing with the fire, she turned around only to be engulfed in his arms and carried over to the bed.

Inuyasha sat down on the edge of it and sat her in his lap. "I'm sorry, Kagome." He put his arms completely around her and pulled her close. "I am so sorry. I didn't mean it."

Kagome looked down at him and smiled. She knew he was sorry. She could tell by the tone in his voice, the way he treated her, and the way his ears lay flat on his head. Giggling, Kagome reached forward to scratch those ears. "It's ok, Inuyasha. I forgive you."

He smiled back and simply leaned forward, wanting her to continue scratching. She giggled, grabbing the ears with both hands and rubbing them gently. He loved having his ears scratched, even if he pretended to hate it when her mother did. She stopped scratching and leaned down, quickly kissing him. He demanded her lips again as she went to let go, pulling her head gently back down. She laughed when he stood up and then playfully tossed her onto the bed. But before she could get up, he had her arms pinned down. 

"Inuyasha?"

He smirked. "You think you can get away?"

Kagome laughed again and started squirming. She would try to escape, knowing full well that it was impossible. No matter how hard she tried, she could not get away.

Inuyasha leaned down to her ear. "Looks like your mine tonight then."

Kagome raised an eyebrow. "An what makes you think that?" Her answer was the sensation of fangs grazing her neck. 

Inuyasha grinned mischievously and then leaned down, kissing her lightly. "Just a feeling."

A/N: Another one done. If you liked it, or even if you didn't, review and let me know. The search for the last shard starts in the next chapter, and I still have a zillion ideas racing around in my head. Thanks for reading and God Bless! ~_Of Memories Past_


	5. Chapter 5

DISCLAIMER: I do not own InuYasha or anything to do with it.

A Family of His Own

By: Of Memories Past

Chapter 5

`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~

     Aiko simply snuggled into her father's arms even more. Her little flushed cheeks pressed tightly against his chest as she closed her eyes and absently brought her thumb up to her mouth. She found comfort in her thumb. The pain. It just would not go away. Her eyes clenched, her body throbbing once more. A small whimper brought her father's attention back down to her, and she looked up at him with teary, violet eyes.

     Inuyasha watched his daughter's sweet face scrunch a bit as the tears in her eyes threatened to spill over. He soothingly ran the back of his hand over her cheek, careful not to touch the long scratch that blemished her soft flesh. He worriedly checked over her body for the rest of her wounds and frown. Several deep abrasions and other minor scrapes covered her arms and legs, and they still bled. He noticed that they did not show any signs of stopping soon either.

     "Daddy?"

     Glancing down, Inuyasha found Haru staring up at him, anxious glances going to his sister. The tailed pup's golden eyes turned to him again, and he began to shinny up his father's legs without warning.

     Haru got about as far as his father's right arm before his balance failed. With a shriek of surprise, his grip slipped and he fell. But instinct took a hold of him, and he tightly wrapped his tail around the muscular arm on his way down to the ground. The pup's exhale of relief was clearly audible as he hung from his father's arm.

     Inuyasha chuckled. That pup was the clumsiest of them all, but the inept actions only served to make the pup more adorable. Always in trouble. Lightly grasping the small tail so as not to hurt him, Inuyasha lifted his son to his shoulder.

     A wide grin spread across Haru's face, and he wrapped his little baby arms around his father's neck, burying his face into the soft, silver hair. Daddy meant safety, and he knew he was safe with Daddy. But another glance to his sister brought the concerned look to his face once more. She had not been with his daddy, and that was why she was hurt.

     "Aiko be otay?" he asked with wide eyes. 

     "Aiko will be okay," Inuyasha answered, picking up the pup with one arm. "Go to your mama, Haru. I need to take care of your sister." He set the pup down onto the ground and watched as he quickly scrambled to his mother.

     Kagome welcomed the pup into her arms and tossed him up into the air, smiling as he giggled before bringing him down to rest on her hip. She threw a questioning glance to her mate, her eyes turning more a moment to her daughter. The distraught look at seeing her baby in that condition was evident. 

     "I hear a river nearby," he informed the group. 

     Miroku stopped walking, giving Hiroshi over to Sango for a moment so that he could stretch out his arms. "How far?" He too was concerned for the injured pup.

     His ears twitched as he carefully listened to the forest sounds. Yes, it was near. Inuyasha gathered his daughter to his chest and looked over his shoulder at the rest of the traveling group.

     "It's just past these trees," he informed. "But I'm going ahead. Aiko needs to have these taken care of." Inuyasha looked down in time to see tears beginning to roll down Aiko's cheeks. "Be careful, and I'll see you there." 

     He rushed off into the trees.

     Kagome sighed and turned to Sango. "I hope her pain goes away."

     Sango nodded and merely look at her own son gratefully.

`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~

     Inuyasha carefully stripped off his daughter's clothes and his haori and set them onto a rock before wading out into the river. Aiko squirmed as the cool water touched her skin, protesting with whimpers as her father tried to immerse her body into it. But Inuyasha, determined to get her wounds healed and cleaned, simply sunk down into the water with her. His hands began gently scrubbing dried blood and mud out of her wounds and off her body.

     Their first day of traveling. It had gone fairly well, considering it had been a new experience for four small children. In the beginning there had only been a few minor mishaps. Kozue had tripped in a rabbit hole, resulting in a sprained ankle. But Shippo had gladly volunteered to carry the pup on his back until his ankle healed. Being a demon, if only part demon, meant that that ankle would heal quickly. Two hours later, the pup was walking around on his own again.

     Then of course Miroku had not been paying attention to where he was going and ran straight into the low branch of a tree. He was unconscious for a few minutes. But other than that and a few squabbles that were promptly separated by two stern mothers, nothing had happened.

     That is, until Hiroshi ran ahead of the group to chase after a butterfly.

     The demon had come out of nowhere then and seized the little boy by his leg, raising the child up eyelevel with itself. Hiroshi cried out both from fright the pain of the grip that the youkai had on his leg. Sango had paled immediately, watching as the feline-like demon raised her son to its jaws. It had cackled and threatened to devour the child if the shards of the Jewel were not handed over to it.

     But while Inuyasha and the others held back, racking their minds for an idea to save the child, Aiko had rushed forward and angrily sunk her baby teeth into the youkai's neck. Crying out in pain, for the child's fangs were indeed sharp, the demon had tossed Hiroshi aside. Shippo caught the flying child.

     Kagome had watched with horror as the youkai thrashed about at her child clinging tightly to its neck while Aiko endured the slashes and hits directed toward her. Blood had splattered everywhere. Forgetting the risks of running straight into battle, once the scent of his daughter's blood reached his nose, Inuyasha had rushed forward and killed the demon with one strike. Aiko fell tiredly and painfully into his arms.

     Inuyasha grimaced and washed blood off of his hands before carrying Aiko out of the river to dry with him in the sun. 

     "Daddy, it hurt," Aiko whimpered. Fresh blood oozed out of her wounds.

     Cursing, Inuyasha gently settled his daughter into his lap. The bleeding had not stopped. He grimaced and leaned his face down to her body and began licking the wounds to stop the bleeding. He hated the taste of blood, especially that of his own child. It did nothing but remind him that the babe was injured. But it would undoubtedly stop the bleeding, so he endured it. 

     Aiko squirmed, but allowed her father to clean her.

     "Hold still, Aiko," Inuyasha ordered as the pup strained her neck to keep him from getting the cut along her chin. 

     The child obediently held still.

     Inuyasha watched with satisfaction as the wounds healed before his very eyes when he finished and breathed a sigh of relief. He pulled Aiko to his chest and nuzzled his face down into his precious daughter's neck, taking in another haggard breath. That was the first and last time he ever wanted to see her in that condition.

     "Daddy?" Aiko giggled, his bangs tickling her sensitive skin.

     Looking down at the child, Inuyasha smiled at her own wide grin. He was relieved that she obviously felt better, and he reached up to tweak her nose.

     The pup giggled again before lifting herself to be standing in her father's lap and planting a big, baby kiss right on his mouth. She grinned brilliantly before throwing her arms around Inuyasha's neck. "I love Daddy!"

     "Inuyasha!"

     The half-demon choked back the tears welling up in his eyes that resulted from his little girl's unashamed affection when he heard his mate's voice and prepared himself to be tackled by two more pups.

     Sure enough, as soon as the rest of their small traveling group came into the river's clearing, Kozue and Haru sighted Inuyasha and leapt at him. The pups laughed, happy that their sister was well, squealing joyously as she played along with them pulling on their father's ears with her teeth and even giving Kozue's own ears and Haru's tail a nip.

     Inuyasha gave off a low growl to get the pups back under control. Holding them all to his chest tightly, he committed the feeling of three pairs of tiny arms wrapped around his neck to memory before sending them off to play and relax. He swallowed as he watched them run off. Aiko was immediate scooped up into Kagome's arms and hugged tightly while Haru and Kozue ran over to Hiroshi to engage in a game of tag.

     Closing his eyes, Inuyasha listened intently to the sounds of little feet pattering rapidly across the soft grass, little giggles and happy laughter filling the air. A slight smile touched his own lips when she heard that soft pattering run over and race around Sango and Miroku, and the adults began filling atmosphere with their own laughter at watching the children. A sudden splash caused his eyes to snap open, and he saw right away that the mischievous children had somehow managed to throw Shippo into the river. The drenched kit was currently in the process of trying to throw each one of his attackers in.

     "You seem preoccupied."

     "Hmmm?" Inuyasha asked, his gaze still on his pups and nephew. His attention finally turned when he felt an arm wrap around him. He turned his head to the side and smiled slightly. "Kagome."

     Kagome sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder. "I'm so glad she's okay." 

     "She's a tough one," he sighed. He breathed in deeply. _What?_ All of a sudden Inuyasha's wide eyes snapped to his wife, his look intent upon her.

     Noticing his scrutiny, Kagome shifted uncertainly. "What is it, Inuyasha?"

     A grin touched his features, and he gently wrapped an arm around her waist before leaping high off into the trees above.

     Kagome gave off a slight shriek in surprise and held tight, waiting patiently as he settled onto a thick branch and placed her in his lap so that she was facing him. Her questioning eyes delved into his, and she risked a quick glance down to the pups to see how they were. But she had no sooner turned her attention back to Inuyasha than she felt his lips crush against hers in a bruising kiss. She could do nothing but kiss him back.

     Not that she minded.

     Relaxing, she brought her arms up around her husband's neck, parting her lips slightly as deepened the kiss. So much for finding out what he was thinking about beforehand. Her breathing turned haggard as when he grasped her lower lip with his teeth before capturing her mouth with his own again.

     "What has gotten into you?" she breathed when he moved his careful caresses down to her throat.

     "Nothing," he mumbled between kisses. "Am I allowed to _love_ my wife?" Inuyasha moved to the nape of her neck and lightly sunk is fangs into the flesh there before trailing more hot, little kisses up to her jaw.

     Kagome gasped, catching his implication, and lightly smacked him. "Not up in a tree you don't! Especially with the pups down there!"

     Inuyasha shook with laughter and released his hold on her. "No fun." He pulled Kagome to his chest, stroking her back softly as she relaxed and listened to his heartbeat. "Actually, I have something to tell you."

     The miko looked up with questioning eyes. "What is it?"

     The hanyou smiled secretively before sitting her up in his lap and taking her wrists in his hands. That smile suddenly turned gentle as he pressed her hands against her own stomach. "You're pregnant."

     "I'm what?" Kagome's eyes grew wide.

     Inuyasha smiled and wrapped his arms around her again. "Pregnant."

     That said, the soon-to-be-a-father-again lowed his face and pressed his mouth gently against his mate's, satisfied when she responded immediately. 

     More little, precious bundles were on the way.

A/N: I'm so sorry it's been a while since I last updated. Serious writer's block for this story. I hope you all enjoyed. Please review! God Bless! ~_Of Memories Past._


End file.
